Japanese researchers reach 3Gb/s speeds with Terahertz Wi-Fi

As reported by the BBC earlier today, a group of scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan have reached a new speed record for Wi-Fi speeds that are fifteen to twenty times faster than next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Utilizing the unregulated Terahertz band to transfer data, the researchers hit a 3Gb per second transmission rate and broke the previous record of 1.5Gb/s achieved during November 2011 by electronic component firm ROHM. Theoretically, there’s room in the Terahertz band to reach speeds of 100Gb per second, but the recent record already blows away current speeds.

The Terahertz band, also known as T-Rays, is currently used for research purposes. Similar to X-Rays, the waves are used to move through objects specifically for imaging. However, T-Rays leave a much smaller amount of energy behind compared to X-Rays and are less harmful.

Prior to the development of the Terahertz band device created by the Japanese researchers, the technology used for T-Ray transmission has been far too large to fit within routers or other mobile devices like laptops, tablets or smartphones. The version that was developed by the research team takes a huge step towards the commercial viability of Terahertz band solutions for businesses or homes.

It’s likely that transmitting over the Terahertz band won’t extend beyond about 30 feet, but it would be ideal for a home entertainment area of a home. For instance, a user could place a Terahertz band next to a television and potentially download a 1080p high definition movie in just seconds. If the consumer electronics industry is successful in convincing consumers to upgrade to a 4K television over the next ten years, the Terahertz band would definitely be useful. For example, the uncompressed 4K version of the first, 2.5 minute trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man is a staggering 500GB in size according to Expert Reviews.